The subject is gender oppression and human rights violations. The subtext is how everything is connected: poverty, domestic abuse, sex trafficking…The material is not easy, but important.

Based on the latest book by “Half the Sky” authors Nicholas Kristof (of the New York Times) and Sheryl WuDunn (his wife and co-author), this new documentary tracks celebrity activists Malin Akerman, Mia Farrow, Ronan Farrow, Jennifer Garner, Regina Hall, Ashley Judd, Blake Lively, Eva Longoria and Alfre Woodard to Colombia, Haiti, Kenya and throughout the U.S.

The approach is intentionally upbeat, highlighting the successes, offering hope, and affirming that there are opportunities and it is possible to transform lives. Like the film “Half the Sky,” the message is one of empowerment: “Our future is in the hands of women everywhere.”

The three-part series premieres on “Independent Lens” on three consecutive Monday nights, Jan. 26, Feb. 2 and Feb. 9, locally at 9-10:30 p.m. on RMPBS.